Reviews

Do I Make Myself Clear? Why Writing Well Matters by Harold Evans

lananhngvu's review

Go to review page

1.0

Icon con mèo Simon khạc cục lông mắc trong cổ họng ra sẽ mô tả chính xác của tôi khi đọc (một nửa) cuốn sách này.

Writing manuals mà thực sự khó đọc, hoặc có lẽ tôi đã quen và thích style rành mạch rõ ràng của Steven Pinker rồi nên không chịu được những câu văn xoắn xuýt khó hiểu một cách không cần thiết. Bản thân tác giả cũng đưa ra gợi ý rằng nếu không cần thì đừng diễn đạt khó hiểu, nhưng cả cuốn sách lại nhiệt tình phản lại lời khuyên đó =)) Cũng không phải tôi chỉ thích đọc cái gì dễ chịu, trôi tuồn tuột, tôi có thể nghiền ngẫm một văn bản khó miễn là nó truyền tải được gọn ghẽ nội dung. Nhưng đó không phải là trường hợp của cuốn sách này.

Để trả lời cho câu hỏi của tác giả: Do I make myself clear?

No, absolutely not.

Còn nhiều ý kiến tôi không đồng tình trong cuốn sách, nhưng cái đó là quan điểm cá nhân của mỗi người nên tôi không muốn chỉ trích. Khó chịu nhất cái style thôi.

paintchipped's review

Go to review page

3.0

Parts were really promising, but rambled at times.

danjewett's review

Go to review page

5.0

Most of the books on my GR read list receive high rankings because if I am not enjoying a book I simply stop reading it.

I enjoyed reading this book. I learned from reading this book. I was motivated and inspired by reading this book.

allie8973's review

Go to review page

There were two writing tidbits that I could gleam, but for being a book about precise and clear writing. It's wordy and hard to read

drharms's review

Go to review page

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

dsperling82's review

Go to review page

4.0

Excellent advice on writing from someone who knows.

wiltedlavender's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

lizziesew's review

Go to review page

In short it is not for me at this time

dillarhonda's review

Go to review page

Harold Evan's latest book Do I Make Myself Clear? is as much an ode to clear prose as it is an invective against sloppy thinking. It is also a fantastic practical guide for anyone looking to strengthen their writing. Focusing exclusively on nonfiction, Evans pulls positive and negative examples and dissects their strengths and weaknesses. His book is full of useful lists of common errors, simple shortcuts to clarification, and tables breaking down how an article could be edited. What makes this volume stand out from others of its kind is Evan's warmth and humor. His own prose is spectacularly lucid and even when he's untangling a particularly contorted sentence, his wit never wavers. As with most editorial pronouncements, there's a fair share of Evan's personal taste that comes across as indelible law. But taken with a miniscule grain of salt, this is a book that should be on the shelf of every aspiring writer right next to Strunk and White's (much less entertaining) Elements of Style.

cjhubbs's review

Go to review page

funny informative medium-paced

4.0